Transforming groundbreaking technologies into a scalable business requires more than just a great idea or scientific innovation. It demands strategic foresight, the right partnerships, and a deep understanding of the complex landscape of growth and investment. Precisely that is what (co)founders of deep tech start-ups can learn in this new learning track ‘Scaling with Impact’ developed by Antwerp Management School, the University of Antwerp and VITO. They brought together their expertise in working with early and later-stage, innovative and technology-driven start-ups to empower their growth and help them scale up.
The ‘Scaling with Impact’-track is specifically designed to equip founders with the skills necessary for navigating interactions with initial and follow-on investors, negotiating future-proof deal terms, managing boards effectively, reporting to shareholders, and taking up leadership responsibilities. Start-ups can benefit from dedicated support through interactive live lab sessions, one-on-one access to specialists in scaling, finance, and legal affairs, as well as invaluable insights from experienced scale-up entrepreneurs, board members, and top investors. Throughout this track, start-ups will engage with real-world case studies, hands-on exercises, and expert-led discussions. They will be equipped with practical tools, methodologies, and best practices that can immediately be applied.
Six live labs, taking founders from start-up to scale-up
The track consists of 6 Live Labs, each zooming in on an important pillar of growth for the start-ups.
- Live Lab 1: Growth challenges & strategy
In Lab 1, we set the scene to navigate the critical transition from startup to scale-up from both strategic and personal perspectives. Fellow founders connect and clarify growth intentions and challenges.
- Live Lab 2: Investment need & investor landscape
In Lab 2, the focus is on the financial strategies and investor dynamics essential for scaling up. This lab equips start-ups with the financial skills and strategic tools necessary to navigate the complexities of growth in a competitive market.
- Live Lab 3: Investor persuasion & negotiation
This session focuses on how to persuade investors with the right financial data and a strong pitch. The legal aspects of these deals will be clarified, ensuring founders are fully prepared to strike the best possible agreements.
- Live Lab 4: Board governance
In Lab 4, participants learn to form and manage a board of directors while gaining insights into best practices, legal implications and responsibilities that come with having a board.
- Live Lab 5: Board collaboration
In the fifth session, we move from a legal to a relational perspective on board collaborations. The focus here will be on the use of politics, power and influence in collaborating with a board.
- Live Lab 6: Coaching & peer feedback on concrete scale up action plan
In the final lab, all the insights and strategies the start-ups have gained throughout the track come together. They each present the results of their journey to a panel of experts, who evaluates the progress and provides final feedback, helping them address any remaining challenges while scaling up.
Practical information
The programme starts in November 2024 and will be finished in April 2025.
Live Labs will take place at Antwerp Management School.
Interested? More information on this page.
“At VITO, we attach great importance to valorising new technologies. We create and support start-ups in various ways, to enable the adoption of sustainable technologies in viable economic, industrial and societal networks so the benefits get reaped in the real world. We are very excited about this joint initiative with Antwerp Management School and University of Antwerp; together we can offer a total package of knowledge, experience and practice to empower deep tech start-ups in their growth.”
Bart Swaelens
VITO
“To be growth ready, you must first identify your key growth challenges and start from a strong and ambitious mission and vision for your business. This foundation will set the stage for developing a robust growth strategy, enriched by insights from industry leaders in the coaching track who have achieved successful scaling."
Robin De Cock
Antwerp Management School
“At the University of Antwerp, we are dedicated to reconfirm our status as a research-intensive and entrepreneurial university by fostering an increase in the socio-economic impact of our research outcomes. Therefore, we actively encourage, guide, and train our researchers to ensure their scientific expertise reaches and benefits society. Our commitment to Scaling with Impact is fully aligned with our strategy to bolster our spin-offs, empowering them to become the leading innovators in Flanders.”
Jurgen Joossens
Universiteit Antwerpen
